Major Climate risks and Adaptation Strategies of Smallholder Farmers in Coastal Bangladesh

Jeetendra Prakash Aryal,Timothy J Krupnik,Sumona Shahrin,Dil Bahadur Rahut,Tek Bahadur Sapkota,Clare M Stirling,M L Jat

doi:10.1007/s00267-020-01291-8

Abstract

Rural households in South Asia’s coastal deltas face numerous livelihood challenges, including risks posed by climatic variability and extreme weather events. This study examines major climate risks, farmers’ adaptation strategies, and the factors affecting the choice of those strategies using data collected from 630 households in southwestern coastal Bangladesh. Farmers identified cyclones, excessive rain and flooding, and salinity as direct climate risks. Increased crop diseases/pests and livestock diseases were perceived as indirect risks resulting from climatic variability. Farmers used multiple adaptation strategies against those risks such as modifications in farm management, use of savings and borrowing funds from family and neighbors, and periodically reducing household food consumption. Off-farm employment and seeking assistance from governmental as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were also common adaptation strategies. The results show that male-headed households are more likely to change farming practices and reduce consumption compared with female-headed households that conversely tended to take assistance from NGOs as an adaptation strategy. Ownership of land and livestock, as well as farmers’ prior exposure to climate change and educational training, also had a significant effect on the choice of adaptation strategy. Therefore, development interventions and policies that aimed at improving resource endowment and training to farmers on climatic risks and their adaptation strategies can help minimize the impact of climatic risks.

Highlights

Climate-related risks, including extreme events such as cyclones, excessive rainfall, and consequent flooding and waterlogging, soil salinity, and river bank erosion, have been widely acknowledged to negatively affect rural livelihoods in South Asia’s coastal regions (Dastagir 2015; Karim and Mimura 2008)
It is interesting to note that households who take assistance from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are less likely to take assistance from the government. These results indicate a need for collaboration between governmental and NGOs in order to better support poor household to mitigate the adverse impact of climate risks
As female-headed households often tend to suffer from labor shortages in Bangladesh (Theis et al 2019), they are less likely to opt for a change in farming practices as an adaptation strategy (Aryal et al 2014)

Summary

Introduction

Climate-related risks, including extreme events such as cyclones, excessive rainfall, and consequent flooding and waterlogging, soil salinity, and river bank erosion, have been widely acknowledged to negatively affect rural livelihoods in South Asia’s coastal regions (Dastagir 2015; Karim and Mimura 2008). Without adaptation and improvements in coastal embankment systems, a one-meter rise in sea level resulting from longer-term climate change could flood ~18% of the country’s land area (Khan et al 2010). Almost six million people are already exposed to soil and water salinity in the coastal region, which is affected by upstream water diversions and can be accelerated with sea-level rise and climate change (Krupnik et al 2017). By 2050 and 2080, unchecked progress in salinity could affect the life and livelihood of 13.6 and 14.8 million people, respectively

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Conclusion